Herr Pastor

Just so you know, this is a pejorative remark. The Lutheran Church came about due to the writing, preaching and other activity of Dr Martin Luther in Germany in the 1500s. The basis of his teachings started the Reformation that separated the Christian into, as it were, reformed/Lutheran/however else it worked out, from the Roman Catholic Church. The “Herr Pastor”, (German) is meant to convey an idea of strictness, pompousness, even severity by the pastor.

Now I will grant that some pastors of past no doubt deserved the jibe. However in the interest of “people pleasing” versus being a minister of Christ, it has taken on the meaning of any pastor who is the least bit assertive or makes a serious stand and outreach for Jesus. It’s another example of why the church really isn’t taken very seriously, if a pastor makes a serious stand, he will usually find that even fellow pastors will tend to pooh-pooh, no less the general public.

My point, let’s support and encourage our pastors, especially when they stand up and teach genuine Christianity and maybe we ought to start holding accountable those pastors who really don’t take the ministry seriously. They need to know it is about teaching Christ and Him crucified and not falling all over themselves not to offend. Jesus said we would offend, we need to live up to what He said and not worry about the “everything is beautiful” types.

Dr Luther used to refer to pastors as “seelsorger”, it literally means “soul healer”. What the world needs more than anything is soul healing in terms of Jesus. Your pastor should want to be your soul healer, to be led by the Holy Spirit in order to heal you in the grace, salvation, the propitiatory act of Christ for you. Help him out and encourage him in that, instead of expecting him to pat you on the head and tell you everything’s just spiffy, when you, and he, both know it isn’t.